Aeroplane.



D.BLA=CK.

AROPLANE.

FPLmMIwN mm2 Imm. 1911.

Patend Fe@ 3,'1912.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

DBLAOK.

ABROPLANE.

APPLICATION FILED' FEB. 9, 1911. 1,01 6,929. Paeuted Feb. 13,1912.

@if hmw D. BLACK.

ABROPLANE.

APPLICATION FILED Imm, 1911.

Patented Feb." 13, 1912.

SHEETS-SHEET 3` Il I ..allllHllllllHlJ 'Demise-rarest not DAVID BLACK, F IEDWARDSVILLE, ILLINOIS.

AnRorLANn.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed February 9, 1911.

Patented Fabi '13', 1912. Serial No. 607,462.

'-O original features "of construction 'and combinations of parts not heretofore known or ised so far as I am aware and which, as l believe, constitute a decided step in advance in this art, all substantiallyas shown and described and particularly pointed out in vthe claims.

' In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 isa perspective view of the invention, and

"Fig 2 is a plan view thereof. Fig. 3 is a 220v perspective viewv of a' sectional detail en 4 arged and -particularly'showing my novel method of coupling together parts of the4 frame. Fig. 4 is .a front elevation and :Fig: 5 is a perspective view of the central or seat 25,.;p01tion of machine'with modifications here- "inafterdescribed, and Fig. 6 isa detail inA "section of 4a'portion of the main frame and i ofia plane pivot connection therewith. Fig.

7 is a side elevation of the machine, and

E .8 is a perspectiveview ot' the tail and rudder. Fig. 9 shows details relating to. the

.seat supporting tubes, at the rear. FiglllO vis a perspective View of one of the controllin springs for the planes. y

As t us shown the machine comprises a 'relatively light rigid mainframe consisting 'of uprights '2 at each side connectedl by a bowed jciossiece 3 top and bottom, and with the bow indicated by b extending to the 20 front of said frame and servingas a' guard yand as a bracing connection between the top- .O and bottom of the frame, thus making the 4frame materially more rigid and with greater strength than it could have if the said bows were omitted. In fact by means of these bows I can use lighter material in the frame as a whole than would be possible without them; The material used for these ,frames may be of any suitable kind and of any needed strength, and the said frames and parts thereof may be provided lwith any suitable braces or stays of wire or the like as good workmanship may suggest and as roper reinforcement of 'parts may require.

lduch. wires -and braces are omitted for the most part from the present invention and would confuse rather than aid in the clear presentation of the invention. It may be added, however, that the bowed cross parts of said side frames preferably are made of bamboo of the .requisite size, say two inches in cross section. The said side frames are connected by rigid rods or bars 5 front and rear at their top and other similar cross-bars, rods or the like 6 somewhat below the middle of said frames in this instance, and thev joints or connections betweenall the parts of' said main frame wherever they occur areinade rigid and firm by clamps consisting of two parts 7. These parts are each bent between their ends to lap closely'upon the corresponding portion of the frame and there are two clamping members on each side of each joint at right anglesl to each other which are .united in this instance by means ot screws but may be riveted together. This double clamping of said parts together where they cross as seen in Fig. 3 makes an exceedingly strong and iirm connection. All or substantially all .the crossings of. parts of the main trame throughout fthe structureiare provided with clips or clamps 7 as shown especially in Fig. 3, and' the inside clamps on both side trames are alike `provided with rigid lateral projec' tions 8, Fig. '6, which serve. as pivots for-the correspondingplanes P and P at both edges thereof. v

It is seen that the present structure belongs to what is commonly known as a bi-j plane, but with this important difference as compared with such machines as heretofore made that it really contains four different planes, two on each side, but arranged one above the other in pairs and in such relation that thev eiiect and value of two continuous planes is obtained lfor all ordinarypurposes. This is plainly seen in Fig. 1 where' both the upper and the lower planes are in the same working plane horizontally and are designed to hold this related position in'all direct flight-s. However, the total length of these planes from end to end necessarily is quite considerable and conditions are liable to arise in flight when safety as lwell as expediency require that one or the 'other of said pairs of blades should yield or tilt or make other accommodation for i the momentor even longer. Thus, for example', a given plane-or pair ot planes might jpossible strain and danger by tilting or swinging more or less on their pivots in the direction induced by such unfavorable currents. Then'the moment the danger or the untoward pressure has been passed the said planes would automatically swing back to 'normal position 'and the danger would be avoided. To meet such a condition mechanically and toy automatically right the 'planes afterward I provide each 'plane .with a retracting spring which is wound spirally about crossy rod between the side posts of the sides of the trame and fixed to' said rod atits middle while the endsot said spring have arms 14 connected by wires 15 with the edges of-thc planes. two suchV wires for each plane. The saidv springs are designed to be strpngenough to hold the planes to their work in horizontal position as shown. and only when extraordinary conditions strike a plane do Said springs vield. sav in some such measure as shown in dotted lines. Fig. 4.

It shouldl probablyliave been stated be- I fore that each planchas a rigid edge frame of its own and' that said planes are connected in pairs at either side of the machine by rigid braces or connecting -rods or bars '16 -pivotally connected to the said planes at "their ends. Each pairl of planes has two 4turns in changing the angle of Hight. To:

sets of these connections near their respective ends, and it follows that the two planes in' each pair must work in unison and be mutually responsive under all conditions of operation whether one or both planes be subjected-to an operating force or air current strong enough to affect its position. or, in other words, to change. its position fromthe normal horizontal plane to what is shown in dotted lines, Fig. 4. more or less. Of course Ithe springs 10 will restore the said planes to normal as soon as the abnor mal conditions affecting them are relieved. Obviously in view of the total length of the two sets of planes taken together and their comparatively vwide area of actiony a wayward current of air may strike one-set or pair and not reach the other at all,- and byhaving automatic accommodation for said planes as just described, I provide against injury or accident to the machine besides affording a construction that can be mechanically utilized for special reasons or purposes, such, for example, as making this latter end, and in order that the operator may directly enter into this-otherwise.

automatic ac ion of the planes and directly counteract such action or induce a like movement purposely, or with such auto- Amatic action on oneside produce a like positicn in thee-ther planes lprovide the means shown, for exainple, in Fig. 5. Herein there are shown two pedal levers 18, say like those of a bicycle. mounted' on a shaft or cross bar 19, which would othtrwise servo as a foot rest, and connected by wires over sheaves 21 with the rear" edge of the lower plane of each pair. This'inechanisin gives the operator complete controlv of the planes within the limits of springs 10 and their plane connections. ,and the strength of said springs isl such that they ait'ord all the resistance the operator ordinarily needs in the pedals 20 to malte the pedals regular 'rests for his feet. The said pedal Vlevers 18 project across shaft 19 and have the wires 2O connected at or near their ends on both sides of Said shaft, or above and below the sanie.f 'l`liis o'rany other mechanism serving the same purpose may be adopted, the idea inA any 'eventbeing -to give the operator personal control of the position of the planes, it being understood, however, vthat 'they naturally hold to the horizontal position through 'the springs 10and needno help to do this. An cperators seat S fis' supported centrally and front of the machine on a-s'pecial seat frame seen in Fig. 5 andfconiprising parallel seat supporting tubes or pipes`22 and which in turn are supported by brackets from the iiiain frame of' the'machine.

Saidb'racket supports carry standards 2l at their front upon which are mounted rotatable hand levers 25 and 26 which coine'withinconvenient reach ot' the operators' seat and are designed to control the tail 27 and rudder 2S of the machine. -These twopaits are operatively supported at a suitable distance to the rear of thev machine t0 afford the desired balancing and steering'eiifects and are supported on suitable extensions from the main frame and a cross shaft- 29l on said extension which carries the tail proper indicated by 27. The rudder 28 is pivotally mounted on shaft 29 and bifurcated to bring half thereof above and the other halt below tail 27 the said tail thus splitting the rndder. The said rudder- 28 is controlled by the operator through lever 25 at his right and which is operatively connected with the rudder by means of wires or cables 3() over suitably' disposed sheaves here and there and connected at their front ends with the' `opposite ends of arm 31 fixed 'centrally on standard 24 which, in this instance, is rota.- table by hand lever 25. This or equivalent mechanism can be used for controlling the said4 rudder. It may be observed, however,

vthat the Wires are threaded through the 'seat supporting tubes 22 andl extend thence ibs Leie sae to the rear where they approach the rudder from opposite sides in the best way to eii'ect its easy control.

- The tail plane or member 27 has an independent control to give it more or less inclination either way in respect to a horizontal plane according to the elevation of Hight ldesired at any time and by which elevation is determined and maintained. Said control is through the wires 83 extending rearwardly to connect with the top and bottom of the rudder at'g'i to get the desired'leverage on the said tail and connected at their front-ends with the ends of cross lever 34 fixed on post 24 and rotatable therewith. Said wires 33 run back throughthe corresponding seat supporting tube 22 and thence to the rudder and tail as shown. It will be seen that the rudder has its' pivot in or upon cross shaft 29 back from it-s front end I in the end of the central slot therein which divides it upon said tail or plane, but the said tail is engaged with shaft 29 at its fronte'dge. Furthermore the tail is moved bythe wires 33 through the rudder as a lever. To this end the wires 33 .are attached to the rudder upon the posts or projections 35 top and bottom on the opposite sides from shaft 29 and in such relation that a pull on either wire will cause the tail to swing,` on its pivot 29 correspondingly and give the tail the desired tilt or dip as the iiight'may require. Both the tail and the rudder move together in' this operation but the rudder has a separate operation from the tail on its individual pivot 3G, see Fig. '8.

Propellers R are shown as disposed at therear edges of the respective rigid sides of the main frame and are driven by engine E on the main frame back'of the operator lor in any other suitable position.

It isto be specially observed that the planes P and P are hinged or pivot/ed eomparatively near their inner ends so that any tilting of the same is from this point and is emphasized. especially in the outer free ends. This of course 1s of material advantage 1n the operation of the machine because it gives the maximum movement of the planes to their outer ends where it counts or'most in a'ny event. As shown, approximately twothirds'of the area of each' plane is at the outer side of pivot. 8.

Suitable wheels (not shown) may also be used at the runners or skids, but this is obvious in view of the general practice.

Obviouslythis machine can be converted into a monoplane by omitting say the two lower planes.4

lli-That I claim is:

l. In a machine as described, a mainframe having transverse bars at its sides, a set of planes disposed in the same horizontal plane and each of, said planes pivotally mounted on one of said bars and extending inward from its pivot substantially half way across said trame and adapted to tilt independently of the other plane, and means adapted to lautomatically restore said planes to normal position after tilting comprising a spring for each plane having a substantially rigid projection and a connection between said projection and the edge of said plane.

A 2. In an aeroplane, amain frame having forwardly bowed sides and the ends thereof constituting the top andbottom side bars of said frame,a set of planes on each side in substantially lthe same horizontal relation edge portion of said planes.

In testimony whereof I atlix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

DAVID BLACK. Witnesses:

R. B. MOSER, F. C. Musso-N, 

